Write a book - CHECK. Edit the book - CHECK. Publish the book - CHECK. Market the book? Uh… About that…

Feel a little stuck in the marketing department? Not sure where to start or what the necessary steps are to get the word out about your book? Did you think the publishing company was going to do it all for you?

Whether you signed on with a traditional publisher or you decided to self publish, when it comes to marketing, your book needs YOUR voice, YOUR promotional efforts and YOUR push to get the word out to readers everywhere! I don't just mean setting up a few local book signings and speaking events (of course, those don't hurt), but in today’s web-driven-world, a GREAT way to kick-start your marketing endeavors is to build an online presence for you and your book.

Most people already have personal Facebook and Twitter accounts - but these are also great tools to use professionally to help market your book and YOU as a budding author!

Create a website. Start a blog! Sign up on AuthorsDen.com. Join Goodreads.com, Jacketflap.com and other book oriented sites where you can network with readers and other authors. And YES - sign up with Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc. and build a Facebook Fan Page for your book or for you as an author. Build separate accounts and followers from your personal online networks. Yes, it’s important to keep your friends and family connected to your work, but you need to do more than just showcase to those who are near and dear to you already. You also need to promote “Your Name,” Author of “Your Book” to the WORLD!

I have THREE websites, a blog, a FB fan page, a twitter account, a jacketflap account, a Goodreads account, an AuthorsDen account and a LinkedIn account… And you know what - this is hardly a dent in the online presence I COULD have.... but it is a presence and it helps!! Now, you don't have to do this all in one day (it WILL TAKE TIME to build your online presence), but these are necessary steps if you want to promote your book to a wider market.

Online venues will also help you connect with reviewers, interviewers, bloggers, other authors, etc.! There are SO MANY online source and connections that can bring attention and awareness to your book. Look into being featured with online Author Spotlights, write and host guest blog articles and do online interviews. Once you get a feel for what opportunities are out thee, the sky is the limit! The sooner you get started, the better!

If you want to get your book attention and achieve the success you deserve as a hard working author, you need to take some BIG steps in the marketing department, and building a strong online presence is a great way to get started.